Coins "looted" from Afghanistan repatriated to... University of Washington?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by red_spork, Feb 20, 2021.

  1. red_spork

    red_spork Triumvir monetalis

    Homeland Security is reporting the seizure and later transfer to University of Washington of a collection of coins from Afghanistan and surrounding countries here: https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/h...-cbp-seizure-result-transfer-51-ancient-coins

    The details are somewhat sparse but it appears that these were property of someone within the US who attempted to enter Canada but was turned back at the border crossing. On the return, customs stopped and searched this person and seized this collection. The collector didn't fight it, likely because the coins simply weren't worth the legal costs, and after Afghanistan refused to take them, they were given to the University of Washington. This is worrying for a few reasons: first because there is no MOU with Afghanistan and the coins were apparently already in the USA, so the actual legal basis of the seizure is somewhat dubious. Additionally, the fact that CBP apparently ascertained that these were illegally looted based on the lack of provenance and existence of bronze disease, when most low value coins have little to no provenance and plenty have bronze disease or past signs of it, is very worrying.

    Finally, perhaps most sickening is the fact that University of Washington accepted what is ultimately the stolen property of a US resident or citizen. The University of Washington should be ashamed of this, and I'd encourage anyone who has ties to this university to raise this issue. The University needs to do the right thing and return these coins to the owner that they were stolen from, but this should also be a wake up call to all other collectors. If you're ever in a situation like this, it's worth reaching out to one of the various pro-collector groups to see if anyone is willing to take up the case, even if you don't have the resources to personally fund it.
     
    paschka, Ed Snible, Orfew and 19 others like this.
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  3. Andrew McCabe

    Andrew McCabe Well-Known Member

  4. Gavin Richardson

    Gavin Richardson Well-Known Member

    A curious line from the press release: "HSI consulted with subject matter experts, who determined the coins were authentic and showed signs of Bronze Disease, which is an indication the coins were taken from the ground illegally." ????

    As if chemical reactions are aware of the legal status of the artifacts they affect, or as if even curated artifacts never experience this fairly common chemical reaction.
     
    Carausius, PeteB, midas1 and 8 others like this.
  5. red_spork

    red_spork Triumvir monetalis

    Probably some "experts" angling to get some free coins
     
    The Trachy Enjoyer likes this.
  6. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    What a farce
     
    Nicholas Molinari and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  7. Orielensis

    Orielensis Well-Known Member

    I am very confused by the whole statement. I limit myself to the four weirdest points:

    1.) Quote from UW library: "Beyond their value as currency, ancient coins like these represent the beginning of communication and bookmaking."
    I have absolutely no idea why ancient coins should represent the beginning of communication, or what they have to do with the origins of bookmaking. Writing by far predates coinage. The earliest cuneiform records are commonly dated to the 34th century BC, while the earliest known coins come from the 7th century BC. If UW library issued such a statement, that doesn't speak very well of the education of their staff.

    2.) Quote from HSI: "HSI consulted with subject matter experts, who determined the coins were authentic and showed signs of Bronze Disease, which is an indication the coins were taken from the ground illegally."
    Why should a typical chemical reaction of bronze with chlorides be any indication of whether an object was excavated and imported legally or illegally? The reasoning behind this is obscure to me.

    3.) Quote from HSI: "A cursory examination and research determined some of the coins appeared similar to coins found on the Red List of Afghanistan Antiquities at Risk and no government representative from Afghanistan (or elsewhere) made claim to the coins."
    The 26 coins shown in the article consist of:
    - 14 Afghan silver coins from the 19th century. These are about as ancient as Morgan dollars and younger than some coins still circulating in Switzerland. It would thus surprise me if they were subject to any import or export restrictions, but I don't know much about this topic.
    - 5 early medieval Abbasid and Umayyad dirhams clearly not minted in Afghanistan but, according to the collector tickets, in Iraq.
    - 4 ancient Kushan bronze coins which, since the location of Kushan mints is uncertain, might have been minted in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, or India.
    - 2 medieval Ghaznavid coins which might have been produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, or Pakistan.
    - 1 ancient Roman provincial coin from Macedonia.
    The only coins of undoubtedly Afghan origin in this group (representing about half of the seized coins) thus are the modern ones. The vast age difference of the coins furthermore shows that this is not a hoard find but a numismatic collection likely assembled from different sources by a collector generally interested in central Asian coinage. I therefore wonder how it is possible to support the claim that all of these were imported illegally from Afganistan and the surrounding countries, and thus had to be seized.

    4.) Quote from HSI: "The individual in possession of the coins had no legal provenance to validate if they were lawfully acquired and imported to the United States."
    I am very interested in what counts as 'legal provenance' in such cases. For example, when I moved internationally with my coin collection in my hand luggage, I had a binder with receipts and invoices from coin dealers and auction houses with me. Would that be enough? (I wasn't stopped by customs, thus I had no chance to find out.)
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2021
  8. SeptimusT

    SeptimusT Well-Known Member

    Utterly bizarre. The 'experts' that they consulted regarding bronze disease are stultifyingly ignorant. I also want to point out this paragraph:

    The University of Washington Libraries petitioned CBP in 2019 for donation of the coins. Faculty plan to use the coins to: highlight awareness of illegal excavation and the antiquities trade; discuss the societies in which they were created and circulated; and illuminate the complex issues of cultural heritage raised by modern antiquities trade.

    This tells us that UW reached out to the government and specifically asked for these stolen coins, the vast majority of which are not 'antiquities' by any stretch.

    Unless there is much more to this story than we are made aware of here, then this seems quite an illegal seizure. It is sickening beyond measure that taxpayer dollars funded not only this, but a ceremony to present stolen goods to the university. That the librarian (who is, from what I can tell, wholly unqualified to speak about these coins or oversee their conservation) would make such an ignorant comment as that they are an important part of the history of 'communication and bookmaking' or that they contain '3,000 years of history' makes me even sadder.

    Even speaking as a budding academic, people like this make it no wonder to me that so many people dislike academia so much.
     
  9. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    Depressing. Imagine if you were traveling to Canada or back and couldn't prove whom you purchased your coins from. And as far as bookmaking goes I didn't know Vegas was a hub for ancient coins. ;)
     
  10. dltsrq

    dltsrq Grumpy Old Man

    Afghanistan is a unique situation due to the ongoing conflict involving the United States. Collectors should be aware that memoranda of understanding are only one facet of the legal framework governing international trade in cultural property.
     
  11. SeptimusT

    SeptimusT Well-Known Member

    As pointed out, the only coins in this group that can actually be tied definitively to Afghanistan are modern.
     
  12. JayAg47

    JayAg47 Well-Known Member

    They talk about how these coins are like the holy grail of coinage that unlocks all the questions for the humanity. I'm sure you can see local vendors piling these up and selling them to tourists (not much in Afghanistan, but in places like India and Turkey) for a fraction of what they cost in Vcoins or even ebay!
    This action of confiscating coins is nothing but a day-light robbery by the government!
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2021
  13. Carausius

    Carausius Brother, can you spare a sestertius?

    By "bookmaking" I presume they really mean bookkeeping - i.e. tracking income and expenses via a measurement of account. Still drivel.
     
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